A Newton Aycliffe man has been jailed for 18 months for a mini crime spree following the tragic death of his twin babies.
A judge branded Mark Blackburn’s history as “horrendous and appalling” after committing a number of crimes while on licence from a 30-month burglary sentence.
As reported in the Northern Echo today, the tragedy was said to have had an “enormous” impact on Blackburn, and drove him back to taking heroin, his barrister, Robin Denny, told Teesside Crown Court yesterday.
Blackburn, 39, of Hatfield Road in the town, was caught selling drugs to an undercover police officer in Darlington and twice shoplifting from stores in Durham City.
Mr Denny told the court: “He has a significant record in general. He has obviously had drug problems for many years, and things went from bad to worse.”
The court heard that Blackburn helped set up a drugs deal last July and, after being arrested and bailed, stole from shops twice in the space of three days in December.
He took a £79 cardigan from a store in the Gates shopping centre, and six bottles of Jack Daniels worth nearly £120 from a nearby Marks and Spencer.
Mr Denny told the judge, Recorder Robert Mair, that Blackburn, who wore a string of rosary beads over his sweatshirt in the dock, has recently “taken another path in life”.
He produced a three-page letter which detailed his past problems and spoke of how he was seeking help – including from a bereavement counsellor – behind bars.
“I would invite the court to accept he is now making efforts to sort his abysmal life out, that he is given credit for that and some hope,” added Mr Denny.
“He was in a long-term relationship which, sadly, now has come to an end. His former partner gave bith to twins and, tragically, they died very young.
“This obviously had an enormous impact on his behaviour, in particular with regard the drugs. He went back to drug addiction.”
Blackburn admitted supplying class A drugs and two charges of theft when he appeared at Magistrates at earlier hearings.
Mr Recorder Mair yesterday branded his record “horrendous and appalling” after hearing he was on licence from a 30-month burglary sentence at the time of his latest crimes.